Paperwork -LaLu-
by TaylaWrites
Summary: It all started when Lucy walked in on Laxus sleeping at his desk. After that she finds herself swept up in the behind the scenes work of Fairy Tail. And maybe, just maybe, she's finding herself a little more attracted to it's future master than she should be. -AU world-LaLu-
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is my (probably sad) attempt at a LaLu fic after spending about four hours looking through Wattpad, Archive of Our Own, and without any success in finding a story that was either genuinely appealing to read or hadn't been abandoned 3 chapters in. Now, I don't want to be one of those, nor do I have any interest in creating another carbon copy of the "LUCY LEFT THE GUILD BECAUSE LISANNA/TEAM NATSU" Cliches. (where did that even come from it makes no sense). So yeah, don't judge me too harshly for trying to come up with my own idea rather than scooping from the pile of stuff everyone "likes" and re-doing it with barely any difference. If this story does well I might make a larger Fairy Tail story (though the one I've currently got an idea for involves and OC). Enjoy your LaLu. I'm sure you've had enough of my rambling._

 _Tags: Very, very, mild fluff. Laxus being Laxus. Lucy being Lucy. Lucy thinks Laxus is kind of cute when he sleeps. Laxus is a grouch. Mira is planning something. Natsu started a huge thing again. Lucy is short on money, as per usual. Erza likes cake. Lucy isn't sure what to think of Laxus. There's not much "real" LaLu in this I'm sorry._

There were some days where Lucy wondered what exactly had drawn her to Fairy Tail in the first place There were hundreds of wizard guilds scattered all across Fiore, some much closer to the Hearfilia Estate than Fairy Tail. She could have just as easily turned up at the doorstep of Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, or even Phantom Lord.

Instead she was here, sitting in front of Mira at the bar as various bits and pieces of guild furniture flew through the air. Lucy wasn't exactly sure who had started the brawl this time, though she suspected it was one of the usual line of suspects. It couldn't have been Gray, seeing as the Ice mage was off on a job for a client that had requested him and Juvia specifically. Gajeel was off looking for a snack (she suspected that meant robbing innocent restaurant owners of their silverware). Erza was currently tucked away on the second floor with the massive cake she'd gotten as a reward from her latest job. That left three guild members foolish enough to start a fight so close to Mira's newly cleaned bar.

Elfman. Natsu. Laxus.

Through the mess of limbs and magic, Lucy couldn't pinpoint exactly which one (or pair) was responsible for the turmoil, though a plume of fire and smoke indicated Natsu was somewhere on the far right side of the guild hall. Elfman was involved as well, as she could see his beast form towering over the other guild members as they doubted it was either of them who'd started it. Natsu was still feeling queasy after eating a bolt of Laxus's lightning the day before. And Elfman wouldn't dare try to pick a fight next to Mira after she'd just finished straightening up the guild after the last fiasco. Even then she couldn't put it past Natsu to have said something stupid and set the guild into a riot.

Lucy squinted into the crowd, ducking to avoid a chair that sailed over her head. She was looking for the familiar crackle of electricity that followed Laxus wherever he went. There wasn't any telltale signs of a lightning strike, but she could feel the slight spark in the air that went along with Laxus's nasty temper.

"If you're looking for Laxus, he's upstairs" Mira had notice Lucy's observation of the room and was smiling brightly in her direction. Lucy could practically see the gears turning in her head as she pictured whatever fantasy relationship she'd created between Laxus and Lucy. "Master has him doing paperwork after Natsu and Gray destroyed that bridge in Loville City"

"Oh right…" Lucy winced, thinking back to the incident. Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Erza had taken a request to eliminate a strange humming noise that had been giving the townspeople nasty headaches. The humming had turned out to be a group of vulcans practicing on a magic guitar they'd found in some poor merchant's belongings. A fight had ensued and somehow Gray and Natsu managed to turn a two hundred year old bridge into rubble. "I suppose I should apologize for that."

"Oh don't let it bother you, Lucy. How were you supposed to know they'd decide to make sure the Vulcan couldn't cross back into town?" Mira said cheerfully, wiping down a glass with a towel. "I'm sure Master and Laxus don't blame you. If anything the fault belongs to Erza for not keeping them in check"

"Still...Gray and Natsu aren't going to apologize anytime soon, so at least one of us should." Lucy sighed, rubbing her forehead wearily. "Maybe I can help him write a letter of apology or something."

"Well if you insist" Mira reached below the counter, digging into one of the storage cabinets built into the bar. She pulled out a small tray, immediately loading it with a pitcher of lemonade, several glasses, and a plate of iced butter cookies. "If you're going, could you please take this with you? Laxus didn't come down for lunch today so I figured he could use a snack while he's working"

"I'd love to Mira" Lucy smiled, taking the tray as soon as the older woman was finish loading it. Despite being busy serving food and drink to the guild members, Mira could always be counted on to be observing everything else that went on in the guild. From keeping track of guild members to assisting civilians that came into the guild, Mira was always there to help. It was the least Lucy could do to deliver a snack along her way.

Dodging the center of the brawl, Lucy skirted around the edge of the guild hall. She made her way onto the second floor, not surprised to find it empty of life (besides Erza hoarding her cake in the darkest corner of the upper level). Though the second floor was no longer off-limits to wizards ranked lower than S-Class, most of the guild members avoided it as a sort of respected tradition. Laxus, Gramps, and Mira all had offices there, though it seemed Mira only ever used hers for a quiet place for the more intoxicated members of the guild to sleep off a night (or in Cana's case a week) of heavy drinking. Gramps hardly ever left his office anymore. After the Grand Magic Games the guild had been bombarded by request after request from citizens all over Fiore. Each had to be looked over and approved specifically by Master Makarov. It was one of the few tasks Gramps couldn't pass on to Laxus (no matter how much he wanted to).

Lucy tip-toed past the heavy door that lead to Makarov's office, trying to be as quiet as possible as she headed for the door on the far right of the spacious open balcony that made up the majority of the second level. Laxus kept the door to his office shut tight, probably to keep out the noise from the central area of the guild hall. Lucy knocked once, balancing the tray on one arm as she listened for a reply.

"Laxus are you there? Mira sent me up…" She called, knocking again when there was no answer. "I'm coming in... _PleasePleaseDon'tShockMe"_ She muttered to herself, turning the knob.

"Laxus….?" Lucy was stunned by what she found.

The great Laxus Dreyar, destroyer of guilds, next in line as guild master of Fairy Tail, one and only Lightning Dragon Slayer of Fairies….was asleep.

And it was _adorable._

Lucy had to suppress a small squeal as she set the tray on the desk, narrowly avoiding a stack of finished paperwork as it threatened to fall over. She tried her best to stay quiet as she straightened the stack, glancing over and correcting a few technical errors in the forms.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you it's rude to search through other people's things?" Lucy jumped as Laxus's voice, marked by a permanent growl, fell over her. She looked up, already turning red.

Laxus was sitting straight up, clearly irritated (though you could never tell with someone who was constantly scowling). He'd crossed his arms over his chest, balancing his chair on two legs as he glared at Lucy.

"Oh. I'm so sorry!" Lucy's face was heated as she straightened up. "It's just, Mira sent me up with a snack for you, and I wanted to apologize for the bridge from our last request, and then you were taking a nap so I decided to leave the tray here and go back downstairs, but then I saw that you'd marked a few forms incorrectly so I tried to fix them and-"

Lucy was cut off as Laxus held his hand over her mouth. He'd set the chair back down on two legs and was looking over one of the forms she'd corrected as he popped a cookie into his mouth. "How'd you know how to fill out a property damage account anyway?"

"It was something I learned when my father was making me take lessons. He expected me to help my future husband manage company accounts, so I learned how to fill out forms like this when I was pretty young" Lucy said, prying Laxus's hand off her mouth.

"I didn't ask for your life story. I asked how you knew how to do paperwork" Laxus said gruffly.

"Well fine then. I'll just go back down-" Lucy started toward the door, immediately squawking in surprise as she was jerked backwards into a small chair Laxus had dragged up to sit next to his desk.

"Where do you think you're going blondie?" Laxus said, releasing her almost as soon as she fell into the chair.

"Since I'm so irritating I was going to go back downstairs and see if Mira needed any help" Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Laxus.

Laxus shoved a pen at her, moving a stack of completed forms with his arm. "Look over 'll be easier if you catch any mistakes than me having to re-do them when the old man sees their wrong"

Lucy almost protested on instinct. Why should she have to help him do his work? But this close up she could see the dark circles under his eyes. Ever since being accepted back into the guild, Laxus had been working harder than anyone to earn trust from the guild he'd lost once. It wouldn't have surprised her if he'd been up for several nights in a row trying to finish the work his grandfather had given him. With no one but himself, Mira, and Gramps authorized to do the paperwork along with Laxus's own pride he'd probably been doing it all alone.

"Okay." She answered, taking a section of the stack of forms from the top of the stack and sitting them on the desk in front of her. She immediately began scanning over them, changing over a few basic numbers and marking a few boxes.

After a few moments Lucy was forced to shift uncomfortably in her seat, feeling eyes boring into her shoulder. She looked to her right, finding Laxus staring at her, tapping his pen against the table. She moved her weight, resettling herself in her chair.

"What?" Lucy asked, swallowing hard as Laxus met her eyes.

"Nothing, blondie. Mind your own business" Laxus said, going back to the paperwork.

"What are you talking about. You were staring at me!" Lucy's eye twitched as Laxus scribbled down another record of some building being damaged on a request.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Laxus said, flicking the form he was working on from his own stack to hers.

"Stop just hurrying through these" Lucy said, grabbing the form he'd just finished. "Look. You got into a hurry and skipped the entire finances section. Without that the city you sent this to could have just charged whatever they wanted and you wouldn't have been able to say any different" She marked down the correct numbers, adding the paperwork into the pile of already finished forms.

"You're good at this, you know" Laxus blinked, looking at the financing section of the form he'd grabbed next. "You should talk to Gramps about helping out with this stuff."

"You mean helping out with _your_ job" Lucy raised an eyebrow, checking through the stack of paperwork again.

"Excuse me. I wasn't aware you _liked_ being short on rent from Natsu crashing through everything" Laxus snorted. "Give him a few years and he'll have more of these forms than Guildarts does"

Lucy gave a short huff of breath, looking away from Laxus and back to the form she was checking over. Laxus had a point, Gramps did pay Mira quite a lot to help around the guild like she did, especially since Mira didn't take requests very often. With the current turn of events, Lucy was still several thousand Jewel short for her rent. Most of the jobs on the board were monster slaying, eradicating dark guilds, or just weren't suited for her magic. Unless she convinced Natsu to go on a job and not destroy everything she wasn't going to have enough Jewel for all the essentials.

"I guess it couldn't hurt" Lucy said, shrugging as she laid the last of the forms on the completed stack.

"Welcome to the team then, Lucy" Laxus said, stretching in his chair. "And maybe next time you don't come barging in here?"


	2. AN -READ IF YOU WANT THIS TO BE A STORY-

_Authors Notes_

Hey everyone! Since you all showed some interested in seeing Paperwork become a longer thing, I figured I'd extend it. But before I begin writing a new addition to the story, I wanted to ask all of you some questions.

First of all. How do you feel about the story including an OC as a side character. And I don't mean an OC bad guy to hurry the plot along. I mean as an actual working member of the guild. The OC is a little older than Lucy. Her name is Starling. And she uses a type of magic called Mergance Magic. She wouldn't have any serious influence on the plot, but instead would act as a character who provides more backstory into a section of the plot I'd like to use to bring Laxus and Lucy together.

Secondly, how did you guys like the first chapter. Was Lucy written in an accurate way? Was Laxus? Did I provide enough description vs Dialog and portray canon characters in a way similar to their behavior in the anime/manga?

Thirdly, what should I do next? Would you prefer a story packed with action, fighting magical foes, and overcoming adversaries. Or would you like a slice-of-life story with just a casual escalation from guildmates, to friends, and then to love? It's up to you. I have two separate plots that could lead up to either preference.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. If you have any other questions and suggestions, please leave them in a review or pm me. Also, have a favorite LaLu writer or story? Feel free to recommend them!


	3. Chapter 2

"Thank you so much for helping out, Lucy. I love doing all of this, but it's so hard sometimes Even with Kinana to help manage the bar" Mira smiled cheerfully as she sat the last of her bags on the counter top. "I know Master asked you to help with other things rather than managing the bar and helping me cook and clean, but I appreciate you taking the time to do it."

"It's no trouble Mira, really" Lucy said cheerfully, digging into the first of the shopping bags.

It had been a few days since Master Makarov had hired her on as an aid to Mira and Laxus. The job wasn't exactly easy. Mira had been working her to the bone cooking and cleaning, Just that day the takeover mage had pulled her and Kinana on a shopping spree for the guild's kitchens.

"Don't we order all of these things anyway Mira?" Kinana asked as she tucked a loaf of bread away in a cabinet. "Why do we need to go shopping for all of it?"

"We do order it" Mira nodded as she too began placing her purchases in their places. "But with all the visitors to the guild lately we've run out of a few things. Not to mention the dragon slayer's appetites."

Lucy sighed thinking about the traffic that had come through lately. First Lyon and Jura, speaking to Master Makarov about the inter-guild exchange program. Then Sting and Rogue hoping to see Natsu and Gajeel, only to find that both of them had left on requests. The three days that Sabertooth's dragons had stayed with them had forced them to use over half of their inventory. Lucy would have fainted if she'd seen the bill the two of them had amassed in their short time in Magnolia.

"Lucy?" The blonde turned as a small voice spoke.

"Oh? Hello Wendy. Did you need Lucy for something?" Mira asked, smiling at the young dragon slayer.

Wendy nodded quickly, her pigtails bobbing as her head moved. "Laxus asked me to send you up to his office, Lucy. He sounded grumpy"

"Laxus always sounds grumpy" Mira laughed quietly to herself "You'd better go, Lucy. He's probably got something for you to do. Thank you for your help today"

"Yes, thank you Lucy" Kinana smiled, looking up from her task.

"I'll be back later to see if I can do anything else for you" Lucy laid the package of peanuts she'd been holding on the counter.

The guild hall was nearly full as she emerged from the kitchens. Natsu had just gotten back from a job and was celebrating with Happy and Lisanna at their usual table. Macao and Wakaba were sharing a drink at a table with Romeo, and Warren. In the far corner of the guild Evergreen, Freed, Bixlow were segregated as they usually were, while Gajeel chewed on a fork nearby. It was relatively calm for it being mid-day in the middle of the week.

"Good afternoon Lucy!" Levy waved from her own table where she'd been immersed in a large, dusty looking book.

"Hi Levy" Lucy waved, but didn't stop to chat with her friend. She continued toward the stairs, making it there without any interference from anyone else.

"Lucy!" The blonde mage was forced to take a step backwards as a ball of blue fur appeared in front of her. Happy was holding a request from the board. "Do you want to take a job with Team Natsu"

Lucy glanced over the paper. Monster slaying. Three towns away. A classed request. If Team Natsu took the job there would be at least a stack of financial compensation requests sitting on Master Makarov's desk by the end of the day. In any other circumstance she'd have accepted it in a heartbeat, if only to gain a few extra jewel to spend after she'd paid her rent and bought the necessities. She thought back to the first time she'd helped Laxus and how exhausted he'd been just looking at the stack of paperwork his grandfather had entrusted him to.

"Oh Happy, I don't think-" Lucy started, stopping at the crestfallen look on the exceed's face. She couldn't let Natsu make more work for Laxus, but she also couldn't let Happy down.

"You don't want to go with us" The blue cat teared up, holding the paper sadly as his wings drooped.

"No Happy, I'd love to go it's just..."

"What Lucy is trying to say is that Mira has already asked me to take that job" A new voice broke in. Lucy turned to find one of the more recent additions to the guild, a young mage named Starling, standing just behind her looking cheerful. The dark haired wizard was a former member of a disbanded guild known as Scarlet Wing, and used a complex magic known as mergence. She didn't have much of a presence in the guild, but Lucy knew she'd joined because of Laxus and the Rajinshuu. It was the first time Starling had directly spoken to Lucy. "I'm so sorry for not taking it off the board. I had to go finish up the request I took this morning before I grabbed it"

"Oh" Happy blinked, looking down at the request in his hands. "But this job is too hard for just one person. Who will you do it with?"

"Since Laxus has been so busy lately the Rajinshuu and I decided we could handle it ourselves. I just got here to ask the others if they'd go with me. I suppose if they won't I'll just have to ask someone else to go." Starling smiled brightly.

"Okay!" Happy passed the request to the other mage, "I'll go find another one for us to do!"

Lucy gave a small breath of relief as the exceed flew off toward the request board, grateful that Laxus had been saved from at least a few more stacks of paperwork for the next few days. She turned to address Starling, taking note of the small smile that rested on the other girl's face.

"Thank you for that. But you can't field off every request they choose to go on" Lucy said worriedly. "One way or another they'll find a request where they can fight something and ruin half a town."

"Don't worry. I'll be around mot of this week, so I'll try to snag all the jobs where they could level a city. Or I'll find someone else to take them just in case" Starling said, folding the request neatly and slipping it into a small pouch tied around her right thigh. "I should go ask Freed and the others to come with me before Natsu and Happy get suspicious. I'll see you later Lucy!"

Lucy watched as Starling retreated, making a beeline for the table most frequently occupied by the Rajinshuu. The other mage waved happily to them before laying her new request on the table. Judging by the nodding and hushed fuss from Evergreen the answer was yes, and the small group departed quickly.

"What was that about a request being taken?" Mira's voice made Lucy jump. "I wasn't aware the Rajinshuu was taking any jobs while Laxus was tied up here"

"Starling asked them to go" Lucy said.

"Which job?" Mira had removed a small folder from beneath the bar. From where she was standing Lucy could just barely make out the names of a few requests and the reward offered for them. She held a pen poised and ready, looking over the list.

"The Takina Village request" Lucy answered slowly. "Monster slaying. Reward was 30,000 jewel"

"Mmm" Mira nodded, quickly marking the request with Starling and the Rajinshuu's names. "The four of them will be able to handle it. That area has trouble with rowdy Vulcan every couple of years. They should be back by tomorrow"

"Mira...who exactly is Starling?" Lucy asked.

"Huh?" Mira looked up from the list, blinking confused. "Oh. She's a mage from Scarlet Wing. I guess she met Laxus and the Rajinshuu after her guild was dissolved and she came to join Fairy Tail." Mira shrugged. "She's very sweet. And very fond of the Rajinshuu and Laxus. It's kind of cute if you ask me"

"Right" Lucy nodded. The mention of Laxus's name reminded her of her task. "I guess I should get upstairs before Laxus electrocutes me. Keep an eye on Natsu and Happy please. I think they might take a stupid request again"

"Will do, Lucy" Mira nodded, going back to tending the bar.

Lucy climbed the staircase, uninterrupted this time. The second floor was empty as usual, free of even Erza this time. It seemed strangely silent as she walked down the small hallway to Laxus's office. The door was shut, unsurprisingly, forcing her to knock quietly as she reached it.

"Took you long enough" A gruff voice came from within.

Lucy sighed, opening the door slowly. "You could stand to be a little nicer about it" She said.

"You could stand to be a little less late" Laxus shot back. The lightning mage was sitting behind the desk again, pen in hand. A much smaller stack of paperwork sat next to him this time. Though the smaller work load hadn't seemed to improve his mood at all.

"What did you need me for?" Lucy said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Guildarts destroyed a mountain in southern Fiore" Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need your help to sort through all the reports of the incident. The old man wants one financial report filed for the the three people who hold ownership over the land."

"They owned the entire mountain?" Lucy said, pulling the chair she'd used the first night over to the desk.

"They used to. Now it's just a few boulders and some rubble" Laxus moved half of the stack of reports to her side.

Lucy traced the lines of his face with her eyes. He looked more stressed than ever as he pulled a few papers in front of him and began to read them. Dark circles lined his eyes and his skin was paler than usual. It was clear sleep had been evading him recently. She thought back to what Starling had said as she'd prepared to leave. If the Rajinshuu were going on jobs alone, or with Starling, it had to mean Laxus really was working over time. Otherwise Freed could have never been convinced to leave.

"What are you staring at?" Laxus's voice snapped Lucy back to reality. Her cheeks heated as she rapidly turned her gaze away.

"I was just thinking about how the Rajinshuu are going to do without you" She blurted out, pretending to be interested in the paper in front of her.

"Without me?" Laxus raised an eyebrow.

"They left on a request just a few minutes ago. It was out of character for them" Lucy shrugged.

"Did they go with someone else?" Laxus questioned, a small spark of his magic crackling above his head. Lucy could feel the static in the air increase as Laxus went over the possibilities.

"Starling" Lucy said, looking up to meet his eyes for the first time. "She wanted to take a monster slaying request and asked them to go along"

"Oh. Then they'll be fine" Laxus turned his attention back to the papers in front of him.

Lucy swallowed hard. A small ball of emotion she couldn't recognize settling in her stomach. "So it doesn't matter if it's Starling?" She asked, immediately biting her tongue. _Why do you care, Lucy? She's just another guild member who happens to be friends with Laxus. Really, good friends with Laxus._

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" Laxus gave her a strange look. "With Starling there they can work in pairs. Less risk and more efficiency" He said. "Now. This report says Guildarts just walked into the mountain, while this one says he destroyed it from the top down.."

Lucy listened to his voice trail off. She wasn't sure what exactly had gotten into her. But she definitely didn't like it.


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you guys so much for the overwhelmingly positive reviews! Reading them makes me want to get you guys a new chapter ASAP and it really motivates me to write even faster, even if I have a bit of writer_ _'s block. An OC information sheet should be posted soon with Starling's information in case any of you were curious. I'm so glad that a lot of you guys liked her! Starling is a character I usually match with Freed, but I love using her to give Laxus a little push toward the love interest I've decided on giving him in my one-shots/stories. Thank you so, so much for the continued support. Please enjoy the chapter! -TaylaWrites_

Lucy sighed, sitting the hot tray of cookies she'd just pulled from the oven on the counter. It had been nearly a month since she'd been added in as Fairy Tail's newest member/staff. Now she spent days helping Mira around the kitchens, cleaning tables with Kinana, and running errands when the guild was too busy for Mira to go out. Not once in that time had she done what she'd been hired to do.

"Oh good you remembered!" Lucy looked up as Mira cheerfully announced her entrance into the kitchens. "I was hoping you would! Since Kinana is so busy working the bar today"

Lucy watched as the oldest Strauss sibling slid the cookies from the baking tray onto a wire cooling rack. She left them there, going about gathering the materials for the homemade icing she would no doubt be making to top them.

"Here" Lucy slid a box of food coloring across the counter, sitting them next to the bowl Mira was filling with powdered sugar and vanilla.

Mira must have noticed something, as she accepted the coloring happily before chattering happily. "So Lucy, how are you liking working in the guild? Making enough for rent now?"

Lucy thought to the Jewel sitting heavily in her bag. Between taking an easy delivery jobs to nearby towns and working most days in the guild hall she'd had more than enough for rent and essentials. She'd even had enough to go shopping with Erza a few days before.

"It's alright" Lucy nodded. "I have plenty of jewel and even some extra to save."

The older woman noticed Lucy's hesitation, looking up with a quizzical look. "Is something not as you hoped it would be?" She asked. "I can always find something you'd find more enjoyable for you to do while you're working here if you'd like."

"Oh no! It's not like that at all!" Lucy said quickly, shaking her head. "It's just..."

"You were hired to help Laxus. And instead you're stuck down here in the kitchens" Mira nodded knowingly. "If it's any consolation, Starling has been helping him out recently. He forgets to do basic things like shopping if she and Evergreen don't remind him. I think you're done for the day Lucy! Thanks again for helping out"

Mira hurried the cookies out to the bar, humming to herself as she left. Her departure left the kitchen in a stony silence. _Starling Gale._ Lucy thought to herself. Laxus seemed to get along with her well enough, or at the very least he trusted her to be with his team on jobs. The other mage had only been in Fairy Tail a few months at the most,and already she'd made friends with one of it's most isolated members. _To think it took me so long to even just glance at Laxus without trembling..._ Lucy shook her head. The Laxus that had existed when she'd first joined the guild was long gone. No longer was the spiteful, antagonistic, power-hungry Laxus the pinnacle of fear in the guild hall. Instead his reformed self was locked in a dusty office doing backed up paperwork. That was why Starling had managed to befriend him so quickly. It had to be.

The guild hall was as crowded as ever as Lucy stepped out behind the bar. Kinana certainly had her hands full as she bused tables, leaving customers sitting at the bar itself to Mira's dutiful hands. Lucy could spot several familar faces mingling about the crowd. Natsu occupying a table with Erza and Gray. Happy flying above their heads, hearts in his eyes as he chased Carla. Gajeel sat with Pantherlilly, chewing on a collection of silverware. Various other guild members were gathered, talking in loud voices about their last jobs or the monsters they'd faced. Lucy's eyes were drawn to one table in particular.

The Rajinshuu had occupied the corner table as long as she could remember. Even when they were away on jobs, or just taking a break from the guild the table in the back next to the windows always remained empty. That day however it was fuller than it had been in several weeks. The usual crowd was there of course, Freed. Evergreen. Bixslow. But three newcomers were also seated there. Two of which were looking furiously at the third. Their target was looking positively murderous.

It was a wonder Laxus wasn't sparking as he glowered at Sting and Rogue. The three dragon slayers were locked in a staredown even as Lucy approached the table. Evergreen caught her eye as she approached, shaking her head frantically as if to signal Lucy to stay away. She continued, a bright smile on her face.

"Sting! Rogue! It's been a while" Lucy said, carefully placing herself in a position so that she was relatively between the dragon slayers. "How are you?"

Sting blinked, clearly confused as to why the blonde celestial mage had appeared. The irritation on his face immediately vanished, replaced with a half smirk.

"Oh hi, Blondie" Sting said smoothly, leaning an elbow on the table with another sly smile. "Rouge and I were just having a talk with Sparky over here."

"I see" Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "You know. Natsu is over there. It'd be better if you went to see him instead of stopping to antagonize random guild members on your way"

"You are correct Lucy." Rogue nodded stiffly. "We should go see Natsu, Sting. It is why we came to Magnolia in the first place"

"But if we did that we wouldn't be able to ask Lucy if she'd like to come to dinner with us to-" Sting was cut off as Laxus practically growled with irritation.

She glanced at the lightning dragon slayer for the first time since arrival at the table. The expression on his face had gone from subtly murderous to outright fury as he clenched his hand in a fist. She nearly flinched as she saw the dangerous look in his eyes, directed at Sting. The Light dragon slayer seemed to notice a boundary had been crossed as he raised his hands in defeat, stepping away from the table.

"Right. Let's see Natsu the head back. Yukino can't handle it by herself for long" Sting said, crossing his arms behind his head.

Lucy waited until both were out of earshot and joining Natsu at his table before she rounded on Laxus. "What exactly was that about?" She kept her arms crossed, hoping she looked annoyed rather than relieved that the tension was gone.

"Sting is a dick. That's all" She hadn't expected an answer at all, let alone a half-believable one from Laxus.

"Him being that doesn't mean you can just terrorize anyone you'd like, _Sparky_ "His eyes met hers, narrowing as she spoke. It was clear he hated the nickname as he evenly met her gaze.

"Don't you have work to do, Blondie?" He shot back, trying to appear as placidly annoyed as he could.

"I could say the same to you. How many forms have you misfiled this week?" Lucy said, cursing herself silently as her voice wavered a minute.

Laxus gave an irritated huff of breath, standing and immediately heading to the second floor. Moments later the faint sound of a door slamming was heard.

"Lucy why would you-" Freed was cut off by the blonde's glare before she stormed back to the kitchens.

She had work to do, too.


	5. Chapter 4

"Uh Lucy? Are you sure you're alright?" Levy asked timidly, watching her friend pace back and forth.

"No I'm not alright! How dare he!" Lucy seethed, throwing her hands in the air for a moment. "The nerve of that guy."

"The nerve of who?" Cana slurped down another beer, already dazed and clearly drunk, turning toward Lucy.

"I can't believe him!" Lucy said in response.

Levy sighed. She'd gotten the group of girls together in the guild hall to see if she could figure out why Lucy had been in such a bad mood for the past few days. So far the get together was a disaster. Erza was distracted with the cake Mira had brought, Cana was drinking the day away, Wendy was clearly too young to understand much of what was going on anyway, and it was clear neither Juvia or Lisanna was focusing on the topic at hand.

"Lucy. You still haven't told us who 'him' is" Mira said cheerfully, snacking on one of the many treats she and her sister had laid out. Kinana nodded quickly in time with her, focusing on Lucy.

"Laxus Dreyar has got to be the most insufferable, pig-headed, stubborn, jerk I've ever met!"

"Laxus?" The name was echoed as most of the women present had their attention snapped to Lucy.

"What did he do. I'll kill him" Levy could practically feel heat coming off Erza as she clenched her first, glaring toward the second floor. It was a Sunday, so Laxus wouldn't be there but the requip mage needed somewhere to vent her anger.

"Let me get a piece of him too, Erza. I've always wanted a reason to beat up Laxus" Cana cheered drunkenly as Mira smiled brightly, the magic that fueled her Satan Soul already misting around her in a purple haze.

"Lucy...what exactly did Laxus do?" Levy asked, hoping to avoid any murdering before they could get a straight answer.

"He called me up to his office yesterday, made me correct his mistakes, and then-" Lucy had to stop for a moment, seemingly unable to get past whatever trauma Laxus had put her through. "He didn't even say _thanks_ "

"HOW DARE HE-wait" Erza stopped mid-sentence, deadpanning at Lucy. "He what?"

"I know! I did so much to help him and he can't even muster a single thank you!" Lucy threw her hands up again.

"Lucy I hardly think Laxus meant offense by not giving thanks" Mira laughed quietly. "He's just been very busy lately. Master Makarov asked him to take care of a request we got in a few days ago and he's rushing paperwork so he can get it done. The Rajinshuu and Starling are going with him, so he knows he's got to get everything ready so he can focus on keeping them safe during the job!"

"Star...ling" Levy saw the clear distrust on Lucy's face as their guildmate was mentioned. "Of course she's going. She's always going"

Mira blinked, confused. "Yes she's going. Master Makarov specifically told Laxus to pick two mages besides the Rajinshuu to go with him, it's a dangerous mission after all. One of the ones he chose was Starling. Probably because her magic is ranged and supportive. I don't know who he's asked to go along"

The group's chattering was interrupted by a slamming door. They were all silent as heavy footsteps echoed across the top floor. A blonde figure appeared at the top of the stairs, causing a range of blushing and glares from the various women scattered across the guild floor.

"Blondie" Laxus said, lazily looking at Lucy. "What exactly are you doing"

Lucy gave Laxus a dark look. "Having a girl's day"

"Well hurry it up. The old man jumped the date up on my request to tomorrow and you're going" Laxus stood up, turning back toward his office.

"I...I am?" Lucy looked confused. 

"Yes you are. You, Starling, and the Rajinshuu. Train Station tomorrow at dawn. Don't be late"

Levy sighed. What exactly had her friend gotten herself into.


	6. Chapter 5

Mornings were not Lucy's specialty, especially not when she was about to go on a job with a team famous for being spectacularly strong. As if Laxus weren't overpowered enough, both Freed and Bickslow were names feared among wizards and citizens alike both inside and outside Fairy Tail's guild hall. And if that weren't enough, Evergreen was noted as one of the stronger women in the guild alongside Erza and Mirajane.

Anyone other than a Fairy Tail mage wouldn't have recognized the group as one of Fairy Tail's strongest, had they seen them at the train station that morning. Lucy's temporary team was a mess of bedraggled and groggy wizards, spread out among a group of six benches on the train platform. Bickslow and Evergreen were both sprawled against one another, dozing off in a noisy fashion while Bickslow's dogs swirled around them. Both had obviously just barely managed to put on their clothing that morning, as Ever's dress was askew and Lucy was pretty sure the strange shirt Bickslow wore was backwards. Starling had at least managed to dress herself properly, though the dark haired wizard was dozing against Freed's shoulder as Lucy joined them.

"Good morning, Lucy" Freed said, being the first to notice her arrival. Lucy couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Freed looked completely put together no matter what situation he was placed in.

"Good morning" She greeted, glancing at the strange group surrounding her. "Train hasn't come yet?"

"Not yet, but we bought tickets so that we wouldn't have to rush" Freed must have seen her apprehension as he held one out to her. "Don't worry about the cost, the reward for this job is large"

"Sure" Lucy nodded, taking her ticket carefully. She seated herself next to Evergreen on the bench. The silence was tense and awkward. Lucy had never spent much time talking with Freed, and the others were sleeping, or in Laxus's case listening to some loud music that was audible through his headphones.

"You've never been on this type of request have you, Lucy?" Freed asked, clearly feeling just as awkward as she was.

"Uh...to be honest I was never told what kind of job this was" Lucy admitted, crossing her hands in her lap. "I was just told to come. And so here I am"

"Laxus never was very good at explaining." Freed shook his head. He delved into his pocket, pulling out a perfectly creased flier. He passed it to Lucy, indicating for her to open it. "It's an investigation into some strange disappearances in a city to the far south of Fiore."

"600,000 Jewel to every wizard who participates in the investigation?" Lucy gasped out loud, stunned by the amount written on the request. "Why so much money? They don't even have a limit on how many wizards can respond to the request."

"Master thinks there's an underlying motive. Perhaps the village needs magic for some nefarious purpose, or they're looking for a specific wizard or magic. However, the city is a large trading center. They are more than capable of offering such a reward, and several of the missing people are rumored to be foreign dignitaries and notable businessmen." Freed said calmly, watching as Lucy refolded the flier.

"So where's the danger?" She handed him the flier, worried by what she'd seen. "It's marked S class...and Master Makarov gave Laxus free reign to take whoever he chose. So why is it marked that strongly?" _And why did he choose me to go?_

"The city we're going to is called Elslynd It's a powerful center of trade, though it's at the very edge of the country. It doesn't see much of the trade from other port cities in Fiore, but it does gather many of the trade ships from the Southern Continent." Lucy jumped as Laxus spoke, having moved his headphones just in time to hear her question. "The Southern Continent is split into six countries, the largest of which are called Rebirth and Sorinelle. Sorinelle is non-hostile and regularly makes trading deals with port cities of Fiore, especially Elslynd. Rebirth, on the other hand, is a country dominated by a Theocracy. Their Prime Minister loathes magic, and their religion shuns it. As Elslynd is known as a producer of magic goods, which it regularly trades with Sorinelle, Rebirth naturally is against Elslynd, and both Fiore and Sorinelle."

"So the disappearances could be linked to Rebirth's hatred of magic." Lucy frowned. "And so handling something like this incorrectly could start a war between Fiore and Rebirth"

"Correct" Laxus said, leaning his head on his hand. "That's why Gramps instructed that though the request is S-Class, no other S-Class mages were to go on the request besides me. We're too well known. With a group of lesser known wizards, we'll be less suspicious. You and Starling are still relatively unrecognizable, as long as they've never heard of Scarlet Wing and you don't use Celestial Magic in public."

A train rumbled into the station, prompting Laxus and Freed to stand. Lucy followed suit, shouldering the small bag she'd packed. Only Freed hesitated, clearly taking responsibility for at least Starling as he nudged her shoulder. She roused easily enough, getting to her feet with her bag in a rather clumsy way. Starling stumbled off toward the train groggily, holding her ticket in her hands. The man taking tickets looked at her apprehensively, but allowed her onto the train regardless. Moments later both Ever and Bickslow were on their feet, both walking slowly onto the train.

Lucy swallowed hard, looking back at Magnolia as she handed the ticket tacker her own ticket, accepting the stub of it. She had no idea what was coming, but she could only hope it didn't end in disaster.


	7. Starling OC Sheet

**Name:** Starling Astoria Gale  
 **Nickname(s):** Little Bird (Her former guild master), Star (Laxus and the Rajinshuu)  
 **Age:** 17  
 **Birthday:** February 12th  
 **Gender:** Female  
 **Appearance** **:** **Starling is rather tall for a young woman, about the same height as Mirajane Strauss. She wears her shoulder length, black hair loosely in no particular style. Starling has light green eyes, appearing pleasantly cheerful the majority of the time.** **Height:** 5"4  
 **Guild:** Fairy Tail(formerly a member of Scarlet Wing)  
 **Guild Mark Color and Location:** Pale blue, on her back (across her left shoulder blade.)

 **Magic:**  
Ability [x] Holder [ ] Dragon Slayer [ ]

 **Magic Name:** Mergence (Also called Origin Mergence or Limbo Mergence)

 **Magic description:** Mergence magic is an ancient magic, similar to Celestial Spirit Magic in the fact that users utilize their own magic to open "Gates" into another dimension. However, they differ in the idea that Mergence, unlike Celestial Spirit Magic, does not require keys. Instead, each wizard that uses Mergence magic is first bound to one of twelve gates via a ritual in which a large group of Mergence mages opens all 12 gates at the same time. Once a Mergence wizard is bound to their gate, they have unlimited access to the magic of that gate. They can, however, access certain parts of magic from other gates at a cost. (For example, a wizard bound to gate one could use gate one's powers without consequence, however if they accessed gate two's power they would be required to pay a price). In theory Mergence magic is also akin to maker magic as the way the magic is shaped depends on the wizard casting it. There are 14 gates in total, though only 12 allow mages to be bound to them. Together the gates are known as "The Gates of Limbo" though they can be called by their individual names as well. These gates include: Wrath, Strength, Etherium, Avarice, Heaven, Reason, Justice, Gluttony, Hell, Peace, and Madness, as well as the 13th and 14th Gates: The Infernal Gate and Judgement's Eye. Each gate has their own specialty, and attributes it to the magic they give their user. For example, the Gate of Wrath gives magic strongly attributed to fire while the Gate of Hell uses magma magic. Likewise gates such as Etherium and Heaven use light magic. **Gate bound to:** Gate of Heaven

 **Short Bio:** Starling is unknowingly one of the last members of a society of Mergence Mages said to have been wiped out 57 years before the current time period of Fairy Tail. The society vanished during a cataclysmic event, possibly involving Mavis's use of "Law" before Fairy Tail was formed in Magnolia, dealing with the Gate of Limbo. Because of this Starling, and a variety of other Mergence mages, were frozen in time for 50 years. The disruption in magic after Mavis froze Tenrou island caused the spell to be broken; releasing the Mergence mages into the world with no memory of who they were or where they came from. Starling, being only 10 years old when the spell broke, wandered aimlessly until she stumbled upon the guild Scarlet Wing. She joined immediately, working tirelessly to use her freedom as a guild wizard to search for the memories she was apparently missing. The guild was heavily oriented around military precision, due to the fact that it's guild master was a former general of the Rune Knights. Eventually Scarlet Wing disbanded, and in her travels she met Laxus and the Rajinshuu.Starling joined Fairy Tail in the hopes that a stronger guild would have better resources to help her find out where she came from and what happened to her.

 **Personality:** Starling usually appears to be cheerful, yet oddly quiet to those around her. She prefers to stay in the background, though when she does speak it is revealed that she is actually quite optimistic. Starling is fiercely loyal to the people she cares about, and will follow her guild's actions even if her own moral compass believes it is wrong. Though this eerie calm makes her appear emotionless, Starling has a distinct weakness for cookies of any kind.

 **Likes:** cookies, quiet music, sweets, studying magic, training, birds.  
 **Dislikes:** cake, loud noises, drawing, heights, walking long distances, mysteries.

 **Reputation** : A mostly unknown member of Fairy Tail. A well-known member of the guild Scarlet Wing. Known as a strong wizard among those who were familiar with Scarlet Wing, though in the Magnolia area her name is virtually unheard of.

 **Extras:**

Though she tries to act as if nothing is different, Starling secretly harbors a small affection for the Twin Dragonslayers of Sabertooth. She met them while working during the seven years Fairy Tail's core members were suspended on Tenrou. She would never admit it, as she's worried that her new guild would reject her, but were it not for Sabertooth's ruthless reputation she would have easily joined up with them.

Starling also has a small crush on Freed.

Even though she isn't overly fond of cats, the felines are drawn to her for a largely unknown reason.

She has a very distinct fear of large bodies of water, though the reason is unknown even to her.

Her time with Scarlet Wing left her with a hardened sense of discipline and self-preservation, making her a strong adversary in battle. Scarlet Wing's intense Military oriented atmosphere lead to an inhuman precise and overwhelming control of magic.


	8. Chapter 6

Elslynd was a beautiful port side city, settled nicely into a natural valley between two large hills. The train station, situated on the Eastern side of the city, looked out over an open market place. Even from the platform Lucy could see the vendors calling out their wares, some magical some not. She'd have to make a point of stopping to look for keys before they left. Next to the market was a large building Freed had pointed out as the cities Trade Center. This was where their employer would meet them, or rather Freed, to go over the details of the job. The six of them marching into the Trade Center would have been far too noticeable, especially as no one this to the south side of Fiore would be as tall as Bickslow and Laxus. So Freed had left the small group on a set of park benches outside the train station.

So far most of the party seemed content. Ever was going on about searching the market, specifically for a new scarf as her favorite one had been destroyed on a job. Apparently she hated cold weather, especially snow, and her scarves had to be specially insulated with fire magic for her to be comfortable. Bickslow, on the other hand, was eyeing a toy store situated to the left of the market. A salesclerk there was hanging a large sign advertising a new line of handcrafted dolls they were putting on display. Neither seemed the slightest bit bothered now that the sun was halfway across the clear sky.

"Maybe we should have gone with him" Lucy said, sighing as she kicked her feet. "He's taking an awful long time"

"I'm sure he's fine," Starling said cheerfully. She stuffed another dumpling in her mouth, having wandered off not long after Freed had vanished to buy them. "It's not as if someone would attack him in the middle of the trade center. Unless..."

Lucy tuned her out, immediately uninterested in the sudden bought of nonsensical theories that had come to Starling's mind. Instead she turned her attention to Laxus as he leaned against the bench in a lazy manner. She could just barely hear the heavy beat of the music pouring through his headphones, though the words were muffled and undecipherable. Lucy couldn't help but notice how far he'd placed himself from herself and the others, practically shoving himself into the corner.

"I'll have you know that there were no dark guilds in the trade center" Lucy's attention turned to Freed as he approached, a neatly folded paper in his hand. "Our employer believes a large group of strange wizards will attract too much attention and as such has asked us to pair off and stay at several locations in different parts of the city"

"I assume he's arranged for rooms individually." Evergreen said, gathering her things together. No one was more eager for a nap than her after their early start that morning.

"He has. Three to be exact" Freed nodded.

They all fell silent for a moment. Normally such arrangements wouldn't have caused an issue, as in normal circumstance Lucy paired off with Wendy or Erza while Natsu and Gray shared. But with this group they were split at six. Even if they paired by gender there would still be a mismatched pair.

"So who will be going with whom." Evergreen was unaffected. Lucy assumed that so many missions as the only women among three men had steeled her against sharing a room with one of them.

"The best arrangement would be to pair based on level of skill, that way no one is left unprepared should we encounter the culprit. Though I can see how that would be unsuitable." Freed mused, nodding toward Lucy in what he must have assumed was a subtle gesture.

"She'll be fine. We'll pair in terms of balancing our teams. Starling and Freed, Freed and Bixlow. Myself and Lucy." Laxus said with a growl, getting to his feet. "Lucy has never been on bounty investigation jobs."

"Wouldn't it be better to leave her with Starling. Or Ever" Freed said gently, noticing the deep blush on Lucy's face as realization fell over her.

"Starling is inexperienced working with magic that isn't a direct extension of the caster. She'd end up hurting Lucy or wouldn't be able to watch her back because she doesn't know her magic. And Ever is too careless. She needs someone who can watch her back when she leaves herself open." Laxus sparked with irritation, clearly unused to Freed arguing against logical strategy.

"I just believe she would be more comfortable if-" Freed was cut off by Starling clearing her throat.

"I think we'll be fine" Starling said gently pulling one of the keys Freed had produced from his hand. "We'll take this one. I'm sure Laxus will be a perfect gentleman and take the couch"

"Starling, please that's the room with the" It was Freed's turn to blush as he stuttered.

"Double bed. I know" Starling scanned the key's tag. "Magnolia Avenue. South side of the city. Alright, let's go Freed. I want to take a nap before we go hunting for bad guys"

"Keep in touch. We meet back here at the trade center tomorrow night at ten." Laxus said gruffly as Starling seized Freed's arm, tugging him along behind her. He barely had time to toss Laxus the remaining keys before she was halfway down the road.

Lucy stared at the ground in disbelief as Laxus scanned the remaining key tags. He tossed one to Bixlow, pocketing the other and grabbing his bag. "Let's go Blondie. Unlike Starling and Freed we have a long walk. And I want to find this guy as soon as possible."

"Good luck Lucy" Evergreen tittered, shouldering her bag and starting off with Bixlow.

Lucy had a feeling she was going to regret agreeing to this mission in the first place.


End file.
